Tems And Runtown Headline Spotify’s Surround Sound Shows In Lagos

Tems and Runtown headlined Spotify’s inaugural Surround Sound live shows, which commenced in Lagos.

The Nigerian music stars performed in Lagos on September 25 and 26, leading the first edition of Spotify’s Surround Sound live performance series at Livespot.

The two-night event featured distinct performances, with Tems showcasing songs from her catalogue on the opening night, while Runtown took the stage the following evening with a set spanning his career that included some of his most popular tracks.

Their selection as the first headliners for the series was significant, given the infrequency of both artists’ live performances in Lagos in recent years.

This occasion held added importance for Runtown, who stated that it was his first performance with a band in a decade.

He mentioned, “This is the first time in 10 years I am performing with my band, and I am looking forward to seeing my fans” prior to the show.

Runtown began his set with “Lagos to Kampala” and “Gallardo,” continuing through tracks like “For Life,” “International Badman Killa,” “Unleash,” and “Kini Issue.”

One highlight of the evening was his 2016 hit “Mad Over You.” He performed the song during his set before revisiting it to close the show, with the audience joining in.

The event provided a unique chance to see Runtown reflect on various stages of his career, especially as his public performances have diminished.

On the preceding night, Tems opened the Surround Sound series with a performance highlighting different chapters of her career.

The Grammy-winning artist revisited her 2020 debut EP For Broken Ears, performing fan favorites like “Ice T” and “Damages.” She also included earlier tracks such as “Mr Rebel” and “Try Me,” as well as more recent songs like “Love Me JeJe” and “What You Need.”

Before her performance, she reminisced about creating “Free Mind,” a standout record from For Broken Ears, from her bedroom.

She noted, “I remember making Free Mind on my bed, on my laptop, experimenting with chords and seeing what stuck. The first two chords sounded so good, and it ignited melodies in me. Those melodies I made on my bed are what is in the song right now.”

Throughout the performance, Tems engaged the audience, allowing them to sing parts of the songs, fostering a communal atmosphere.

Her performance came six years after the release of For Broken Ears, the project that preceded her becoming the third artist chosen for Spotify’s RADAR Africa programme in September 2020.

Having Tems and Runtown headline the first edition of Surround Sound thus provided a distinctly Nigerian introduction to the series, with Tems representing a significant voice in Nigeria’s recent global music success and Runtown revisiting a catalogue that includes tracks that contributed to the earlier development of the Afrobeats genre.

“People say I’m outside. No. I was born and raised here. This is where I started. This is where I began.”

— Tems speaking on conversations about her being more international👀 . pic.twitter.com/2REKgyJUXX

— NOTJUSTOK (@NOTJUSTOK) September 27, 2026